Good Deals. Delicious Food.

This idea is all about the whipped ricotta. It really doesn’t matter what the topping is, because this creamy and tangy base can handle anything. I just happened to have a fresh batch of Roasted Tomato Relish and it was a dealicious topping to this easy to make appetizer. Other toppings that may work well with the whipped ricotta are: roasted pears with basil, fresh figs and walnuts, prosciutto and arugula or even smashed green peas and bacon.

This “whipped ricotta recipe” is hardly a recipe and just requires a few steps for a fluffy. I used truffle salt, lemon zest, lemon juice and pepper with the ricotta.

I placed the ricotta cheese, lemon juice an truffle salt in the food processor and whipped until smooth – about 1 minute. I manually mixed the lemon zest to the whipped ricotta and started to assembled the crostini. For the crostini I used pre-sliced ciabatta bread, brushed with some olive oil and baked for 15 minutes at 380F.

Although there’s no better way to eat cauliflower than deep-fried or swimming in a creamy cheese sauce, this roasted cauliflower recipe is pretty satisfying and ‘dealicious’ (yup, this unpopular veggie is usually affordable and I’m totally surprised that it didn’t make the Gwyneth’s SNAP challenge list.)

This recipe is more of a ‘way to prepare’ than an exact recipe. If you like heat, I recommend using a hot curry powder like Madras. Try it with a splash of lime juice. The citrus highlights all the flavors and adds the perfect zing!

Start by preheating the oven at 400F. Wash the cauliflower and remove some or all of the leaves. Slice the cauliflower into 1/2 inch thick slices. And yes, you’re seeing right, I didn’t core the cauliflower and you don’t have to do it either. The core holds the florets together and tastes as good as the rest of the cauliflower to me.

In a small bowl, mix the curry powder, turmeric, cardamom and salt.

Place the cauliflower steaks on a non-stick baking sheet (or a baking sheet lined with foil.) Coat the steaks with refined coconut oil (it can be substituted with olive oil or any oil of your choice) on both sides. Sprinkle the spice mix on both sides.

Roast it 15-20 minutes each side. I broiled each side an additional 2 minutes just to give the florets a bit of a sexy tan. This step is totally optional.

This is no ordinary, boring, mayo loaded chicken salad sandwich. I love all the different flavors and textures in this chicken salad. Best of all, it’s actually half of the guilty! Use greek yogurt in addition to mayo and you get an extra creamy and tangy flavor without the extra calories. Then, add a trio of spices– cumin, chipotle powder and plenty of fresh chopped cilantro – along with sweet onions and lime juice for a sweet, spicy and tangy flavor. Piled high on top of a croissant with some radish slices, or just mounded on top of of greens, this chicken salad is anything but boring.

Start by roasting or boiling the chicken breasts. I used leftover chicken I roasted in the slow cocker.

Chop the sweet onion and place it in a large bowl that gives you enough room to mix all ingredients thoroughly.

Chop the cilantro really really fine and place it in the bowl.

Get your hand all over the chicken breasts and start shredding it. To the bowl it goes. Add the Greek yogurt and mayo.

Finish by adding the cumin, paprika, chipotle, salt and lime juice.

Mix it well and give it a try. Adjust the flavors to taste by adding more yogurt. mayo or spices. It’s always a good idea to start with less and add more as you go. You can ditch the mayo all together and go full yogurt for even less guilt.

It just means rice with seafood and a whole lotta of cilantro and cumin!

Arroz con Mariscos is a popular dish of rice and seafood in Peru and also Portugal. This quick version is perfect with shrimp and/or scallops. The convenient thing about seafood is that it’s quick and simple to prepare and the juices that are released add a lot of flavor to the dish. Our local Sprouts has a ‘dealicious’ sale on both this week. Add frozen or fresh veggies to this recipe. This time I added extra cilantro (one large bunch) and some chopped spinach. The greener the better, right?!

½ cup of chicken stock or chicken broth (save another ½ cup in case rice looks dry after all ingredients are mixed)

½ cup of peas (frozen it’s fine)

½ cup of diced carrots

½ red, yellow or green bell pepper diced

3 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp olive oil

“To taste” ingredients

salt (about 1 tbsp but it depends on how salty the chicken broth you are using is)

cayenne pepper (1 tsp)

Instructions

Before starting on the “Arroz con Mariscos” marinade the thin onion slices in the lime juice and set aside.

On a big pan sauté diced onions on the OOil. Add bell pepper+peas+carrots or any other veggies you like (green beans, corn, etc.) Saute for a couple of minutes and add the chicken stock, lemon juice and spices (including chopped cilantro). Add the seafood and cook it for 5 minutes (Note: if you’re using frozen seafood use less chicken broth. If seafood is still frozen cooked for 8 minutes or so).

Taste the broth before adding the rice. It should be on the salty side. Add more salt/pepper/cumin or anything your taste buds tell you. Add the cooked rice. Make sure you gently smash the rice clusters so it will absorb the broth evenly. Add more chicken broth if the rice looks dry. The rice should look pretty moist.

Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving allowing the rice to absorb all the juices.

Serve with the marinade onions on the side.

Notes

You can add any vegetable to this recipe (green beans, lima beans and even chopped kale will taste good). I added chopped spinach on this batch. Also there’s no rule for the amount of cilantro you can use here. If you are a cilantro lover this is the time to abuse it!

I love no bake treats because…well…I don’t like baking. This is another quick treat that doesn’t require baking and it’s a super healthy bite for those mid-day sweet cravings. Healthy enough for a snack and delicious enough for dessert. It goes really good with a cup of coffee. These bites are also the perfect boost for a pre-workout or a great pos-workout snack due to the natural sugars from the maple syrup, plus carbs from the oats and a dose of healthy fats from the almond butter and coconut oil.

These recipe can also be made with raw almond butter or any kind of all natural nut butter. The oilier the butter the better. You can add more milk or more ground oats depending on how thick or thin the mixture turns out. Contrary to baking, it’ll be hard to screw this recipe up!

If you make them, please be sure to pop back and leave a comment with your thoughts!

I’m excited to share this idea here. It’s pretty simple to make and so delicious. I’m a big fan of chickpeas but they do need a lot of love to really get their flavors going. Mash them up with some cumin, lemon and a touch of heat and you have a delicious salad to tuck into pita bread, roll on a tortilla or kale leaf, serve as a dip or as a base for a tartine.

This is how I made this batch, but you can add or hold ingredients to taste.

Use one can of chickpeas, drain and mash it slightly to keep a bit of a crunch.

In a separate bowl mix well until creamy:

1 tbsp pure tahini

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Juice 1/2 lemon (aprox. 1/2 tbsp)

1/2 tbsp water

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp of Huy-Fong Chili Garlic Sauce (it can be replaced with Sriracha or fresh chopped garlic and chili flakes)

Mix the sauce with the mashed chickpeas.

I spread half of the salad evenly on top of a slightly toasted bread. Added some thin sliced cucumbers, watermelon radishes, chopped parsley, toasted almonds and lunch was ready.

I was so hungry…Taking the pictures was pure torture.

I ate the other half of the salad as a dip for the extra cucumber slices and I finger licked the bowl.

When I first saw Martha Stewart on TV many years ago after I just moved here from Brazil, I thought it was something seriously wrong with her. The slow talking, slow moving, the half smiles, the irritating hair in the eye, the missing sense of humor. What exactly is she? A baker?Designer? Not a chef, not a decorator…Wedding planner? I learned later that boring Martha was is an American icon and everyone loved loves to hate her.

I’m not exactly a fan but she has my respect. After all she has survived fame, prison, divorce, building an empire twice, and she has taught me how to pound a chicken breast properly.

Now, since I couldn’t find a video of Mrs. Stewart herself pounding the chicken breast here are the non-illustrated directions:

Take a full chicken breast and place it on your cutting board.

Take a piece of plastic wrap 2X bigger than the breast itself and put it over the chicken breast.

With a meat mallet start pounding the chicken. Start from the center and work your way out. Use short and even strokes.

I use this method frequently to make chicken piccata, chicken scaloppini and chicken rolls. Stuffed chicken breast rolls is a quick ‘make ahead’ recipe. I usually stuff it with sauteed spinach, mushrooms, fresh mozzarella and basil, ham and provolone, and even stuffing. First you need to pound the chicken breast like you were Martha and then:

Season the thin fillets with salt/pepper/garlic powder.

Place a mound of stuffing on each breast.

Wrap and roll the fillets over the stuffing.

Secure breasts with toothpicks.

Place rolls, seam side down, on a greased baking sheet.

Bake at 380F for at least 40 minutes (depending on the size of the rolls)

Wrap the rolls in bacon or prosciutto for extra flavor. If we could only do the same to Martha Stewart!!!!

If you landed here before you already know that baking is just not my thing. It should be no surprise that I’m so frigging happy about these two ‘dealicious’ (hah I can’t help it) treats that I’ll be eating and sharing with much love and joy this holiday season. Absolutely NO baking required! Nuff said.

PEPPERMINT OREO TRUFFLES

Use TJs Candy Cane Joe-Joes for these truffles, but it works equally good with regular oreos. You can also throw a couple of candy canes in the food processor and use regular Oreos if you can’t find Peppermint Oreos.

In a food processor, pulse cookies until they’re finely ground. Transfer them to a small bowl, add the softened cream cheese and fully combine (I used my hands for that.)

Mixture should be sticky. Roll it into little 1″ balls. Place the rolled balls onto a piece of parchment paper and place it in the freezer for 20 minutes (just enough to harden the outside of the balls)

Melt the chocolate according to the package directions.

Remove balls from freezer and dip them in the chocolate. Transfer them back to the parchment paper. Sprinkle the candy cane dust on top to garnish and then let the chocolate set and dry. Once dry, refrigerate the truffles and serve as needed.

BURBON PECAN BALLS

I made them for the first time yesterday and they are just heavenly. Boozy, sweet and powerful! The better the Bourbon, the better the punch!

Simply combine all ingredients and shape into 1-inch balls; roll in additional powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

No super tasty comments about how ‘dealicious’ this chili turned out. No orgasmic pictures either (chili is just not photogenic.) I just want to have this recipe documented because I must repeat the achievement. It was the best Chili EVER end of the story!

1 hot cherry pepper (or any pepper available like serrano, jalapeno, or pasilla)

1 tsp of these DRY/Powder spices mixed all together on separate small bowl:

cinnamon

pasilla

chipotle

paprika

smoked Spanish paprika/pimenton (can be replaced by an additional tsp of paprika)

thyme

oregano

1 tbsp of:

salt

dry cumin

apple cider vinegar

liquid aminos OR soy sauce

Instructions

Remove ceramic pot from slow cooker and keep it close to stove. Turn slow cooker on high and set timer for 3 hrs.

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown the meat (and optional bacon/sausage) first adding a little of the dry spices to it (I like to leave the meat in small clusters/chunks. Place it in the crock pot and reserve.

In the same pan saute the onions, garlic, tomatoes, cherry pepper, kale and cilantro with a little of the dry spices until most of the liquid has evaporated. Place it in the crock pot and reserve.

Deglaze the saute pan with beef broth, wine, beer, or water. Add tomato paste dissolving it in the deglaze (add more liquid if too dry). Add all the leftover spices to the broth. Cook for about 2 minutes and place it in the slow cooker.

Add all the other ingredients (except for the white beans) and mix well. Transfer ceramic pot to the slow cooker and let it cook for about 2½ hrs then check for taste. Add the white beans (drained) and any salt or spice to taste. Let it cook another hour and tadah...best Chili EVER!!!!

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Kids had chili leftovers for lunch. Husband had it at work. I ate it with rice. I ran out of rice. I ate it with pita bread. I ate it with chips. And when nothing else was available to accompany it, I ate it with a spoon straight out of the fridge because I was running late to pick up the kids. It tasted good every single time!!!!

THE DEAL: If you want to give this recipe a try get the ground beef at Sprouts. Starting today they have ground sirloin (93% super-lean) for $5.99 lb. (Check your local store for offers)

Until not too long ago, Thanksgiving was just something which I had no understanding of, whatsoever. Growing up in Brazil, turkey was a protein that we mostly ate at Christmas…and Christmas only. Since I moved to US zillion years ago this holiday and its special meaning has evolved with me. Thanksgiving used to be a nice long break from work and time to shop the best deals. Nothing else. Then some Brazilian friends married some American friends and unexpectedly we’re all gorging on turkey and cranberry sauce and all the rest of the food that we traditionally saved for Christmas. Next, I married my American Hawaiian husband and we created our own Thanksgiving tradition. We feasted on ‘feijoada’ (a delicious Brazilian pork and beans stew); ‘kalua pig’ (because one can’t get enough pig); and even paella because we felt thankful for our cultural diversity and taste buds.

It was not until our first born started kindergarden that we had a real traditional Thanksgiving meal and only because he actually requested. Since then, many turkeys have been roasted and many side dishes made it to our favorite list. Every year, something different is introduced to our ever evolving menu…a side, a appetizer, a dessert or even a cocktail. Our last year winner was this amazing Balsamic-glazed brussels sprouts from The AOC Cookbook.

For this year Thanksgiving dinner, I’ve been collecting some fall recipes from my favorite chefs, cooks, cookbooks, bloggers, pinners and instagrammers. So many dishes I’d love to cook but there’s always that ONE recipe that pops out and makes me want to run to the kitchen and start the magic. I may not even wait for Thanksgiving to try them out.